2.07.10
Rose City Park United Methodist Church
Located near NE 58th and Sandy Blvd.
Tom Tate, Pastor
Sermon Series: “The Way of Jesus”
Today’s title: “Fuzzy Math: 5000 + 12 + 4000 + 7 = 1”
Mark 8:14-21
I believe it was when Al Gore ran against George W. Bush for the presidency. There was something about numbers. You might remember the charge against Gore: “Fuzzy Math.” I suspect that’s what the disciples were thinking when Jesus came up with his addition: “Jesus, that’s pretty fuzzy math! It doesn’t make sense.” And to this, Jesus said, “You still don’t get it! You still don’t understand!” Well, what were they to understand?
On Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday evenings for the last five weeks we have had a class here at Rose City UMC on the gospel of Mark. This is our last week coming up. We are nearing the finish line; the conclusion comes this week. It has been a special journey with Mark: this writer, this disciple, this lover of Jesus of the first century. I think those in the class could tell you some quite interesting things about the gospel, and some could tell you that Mark has about four main threads he was weaving. One of those threads that the disciples had a devil of a time with was who made up the Kingdom of God. They were pretty entrenched in God’s love for them and their kind – just the Jews as the children of God, the chosen people. Any mixing with others was not of God. But Jesus offered a different idea, and that stirred up things up.
In today’s scene Jesus reminded them of two recent events that should have convinced them of the nature of the Kingdom of God. In Mark’s geography, they traveled back and forth across the Sea of Galilee two and half times. In today’s scene, they were getting ready to return home. Jesus had performed certain acts of love – we might call them “miracles” on both sides of the lake. He cast out demons on both sides. He healed both Jew and Gentile. As a matter of fact, as Mark presents the story, these are parallel stories: Whatever Jesus does on the Jewish side, he does on the Gentile side. And he even includes the healing of older women and his most amazing miracle is the resurrection from death of a 12 year old girl among the Jews. For the first century to say that the kingdom of God is about children, women and especially a young girl would have been startling news.
Now, we come to the conclusion of this section of making the statement that the Kingdom of God belongs to all God’s people. When they were on the Jewish side Jesus fed the 5,000. Now, on the Gentile side of Lake Galilee, Jesus has just fed 4,000 Gentiles. (Did you know that there are two mass feedings in Mark? That’s the point that needs to be heard!) As the disciples are getting back in the boat for their return trip to the Jewish side, they see that they only have “One loaf.” They are concerned. Then, Jesus takes out a large piece of paper and broad felt pen and says, “O.K. listen up here – I’ll go through it again very slowly for you.
When we fed the 5,000 over on our own land how many baskets did we fill afterward? They look at each other like it’s a trick question. One of them ventures a hesitating guess: “12?” “That’s right!” Jesus says. “And earlier today, when we fed 4,000 Gentiles, how many baskets full did we fill after that?” “7?” I can see Jesus stop and fuss with a rope or situate himself in the boat. I can’t tell his face. Does he have a sort of smile, or is it a look of deep concern? My guess is, it is concern because then he says, “Do you not yet understand?” The bible is a book meant to be read on many levels. We must go deeper sometimes – beyond the surface to find its meaning.
Oh, you must be getting tired of this theme. I use it over and over: “Who makes up the kingdom of God?” It is a common theme of mine – That we are all God’s children. I preach this theme a lot of the time. I do so because I think the bible preaches it a whole lot of the time too: especially much of the New Testament. The theme of God’s family of one, has for me the ring of truth: that instead of our rituals and sacred places, that God’s Kingdom is marked far more by the people being God’s sanctuary and the human heart, the altar of God. What is more important than our trappings is to love God with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves. But our world struggles with this fundamental theme of who is deserving of my love. It is Jesus, over and over, who says, “We all belong to God.” Still, we struggle. We have such a hard time with this theme: that we are all God’s children. It is the source of much conflict. Like the disciples we miss the point: The “One loaf” is here. It’s not about food, but about the mutual family to which we all belong. I’ll say it again: It’s not about having enough food; it is about the “One loaf”: One family, under the love of the One God, and our mutual caring for all God’s people.
But I have good news: This God is forever at work undermining our divisions. God is constantly at work calling us together into the “One loaf,” the one family of grace.
Most of you perhaps have not heard of Mary Daly. 1971, Mary Daly came to United Theological Seminary, in Dayton, Ohio, where I attended, and I heard her speak. She died this week at the age of 81. The article in Christian Century said she was, “A self-described post-Christian, radical feminist theologian known for pioneering women’s studies and battling administrators at Boston College.” The article goes on quoting Mary Hunt, a professor of Ethics and Ritual. Of Mary Daly, Hunt said, “Her contributions to feminist theology, philosophy, and theory were many, unique, and if I may say so, world changing.” Mary Daily taught for 33 years at Boston College. She wrote a book in 1968 challenging the church in how women were treated. For this she was fired from the Jesuit-run institution. But the students lifted up such a protest that she was reinstated.
Mary Daily was “a pugnacious intellectual,” and wrote a number of works exploring the limits of patriarchal institutions. She really stirred up theological hornets nests on behalf of women. Hunt says, “Even those who disagreed with her are in debt for the challenges she offered.” (Christian Century Feb. 9, 2010)
From what the gospels say, from the many times Jesus reached to women, to heal to include, to lift up as models of spirituality, Jesus was clearly a feminist. In a time when women were chattel, worth little on their own, for him they were every bit as much a part of the make up the Kingdom of God as men. How many stories can you recall where women are included by Jesus where he valued them, and used them to demonstrate faithful discipleship? They are part of the “One loaf.” It was and has been the church that has discriminated against, and eliminated the female side of humanity from the church to a sinful degree. But God’s spirit is alive and well and driving us into the “One loaf.”
Here’s a remarkable story of the workings of God bringing us into God’s “One loaf.” Johnny Lee Clary is a former Ku Klux Klan imperial wizard. He was recently ordained in the Church of God in Christ. The really interesting part of this is that this church, the Church of God in Christ, is the largest black denomination in the country. The article in Christian Century states, “20 years ago Clary had a conversion experience, and it has taken a while for God to work within him to overcome his racist attitude. Then, a year ago, he felt God was calling him to a ministry of reconciliation, which led him to his request for ordination in the church.”
Clary says, “The Klan’s brand of Christianity is ‘God’s children are nothing but white people,’ I absolutely detest that.” The article concludes, “Not all Church of God in Christ members were initially happy that a former Klansman was being ordained in the church. (Christian Century 2.9.10)
You know there is a most interesting parallel to this with Paul who as a Pharisee whose name was Saul, tried to stamp out the new movement which became known as Christianity. And when Saul had his conversion, Barnabus, an early Christian leader, brought Saul into the inner circle in Jerusalem and they too felt the fear and hesitancy of admitting him. And then, being transformed by Christ, understanding the Oneness of God’s people, it was Paul who broke the barriers more than anyone, admitting the outsiders into the faith of the “One loaf.” It is Paul who says, speaking of Jesus, “For he is our peace, in his flesh he has made both groups (Jew and Gentile), into one and has broken down the dividing wall between us.” (Ephesians 2:14) God is relentlessly breaking down walls.
In less than two weeks Corinne and I, along with Terry and Mari Rudd and Pam Henry, from this church, will be traveling to the Kingdom of Lesotho. (Pronounced Lusutoo) Over the years Corinne and I have been privileged to travel to many parts of God’s world on behalf of the church. There are always those who say, “Why go there when there is so much need here.” That is a good and reasonable question: there is much need here. In 1996 when there was flooding in the upper Midwest, we took a team to help people recover from the flooding of the Red River. We have taken two teams from this church to help victims of Katrina: One to Mississippi and one to Louisiana. When we worked with our Annual conference as Mission Secretaries we helped with programs benefiting Hispanic and Russian children in Woodburn. Here at Rose City Park UMC, through our gifts of food we help the hungry right here in east county. There is much need here and it is God’s work to help here. But you see, there is but “One loaf” that Jesus proclaims.
There is only one race: the human race, God’s people everywhere. Jesus point was there is only one family: God’s family. And it is our privilege to love and allow others who may be different to love us.
Jesus did have fuzzy math: 5000 +12 + 4,000 + 7 really do make 1. It’s all done by God’s calculator whose battery is love because there is only “One loaf.” Jesus still asks the same question: “Do you understand?”
Amen